The present invention relates to ultrasound transducers for ultrasonic imaging systems and, in particular, to improved handles for ultrasound transducers.
Medical sonography covers a broad spectrum of specialty areas including vascular, cardiac, and general (e.g., abdominal, superficial parts, gynecologic and obstetric) sonography. Because medical sonography covers such a broad array of clinical needs without the use of ionizing radiation, it has become essential in the diagnosis of many life-threatening diseases.
Though sonography is an indispensable tool, it is not without its shortcomings. For example, each year more than 80% of clinical sonographers experience musculoskeletal related pain, with up to 20% of these sonographers suffering career-ending injuries. Current research points to the poor ergonomics of ultrasound probes or transducers as a main factor in causing these work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Specifically, work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and wrist have been linked to grip effort and wrist range of motion for those using ultrasound transducers. In tests undertaken to pinpoint the cause of these hand and wrist musculoskeletal disorders, muscle activation was quantified as an indirect measure of the grip effort required by the sonographer to perform a scan with the ultrasound transducer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more ergonomic gripping assembly interface between the sonographer and ultrasound transducer in order to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders.